Japanese actress Miho Nakayama has been found dead in the bathtub at her home in Tokyo, according to reports.
The 54-year-old was best known for starring in the 1995 movie Love Letter, a film which garnered international acclaim and earned her several best actress awards.
She also had success as a singer at the height of J-pop’s influence in the 1980s and 90s, becoming one of Japan‘s most popular teen idols.
After she failed to show up for work on Friday, a member of her team went to Ms Nakayama’s home and found her unresponsive.
They called paramedics who confirmed her death at the scene, local media reports.
The cause of her death is being investigated. Police said she had been found sat upright in the bath, according to Japanese media.
The star had been due to perform at a Christmas show in Osaka today, but failed to show up to Shinagawa Station, where she had reportedly been due to meet her team at around 9.00 am.
The show was cancelled before the announcement of her death was made, with poor health given as the reason.
Japanese actress Miho Nakayama, 54, has been found dead at her home in Tokyo
The 54-year-old was best known for starring in the 1995 movie Love Letter
A statement published by her agency to her website confirmed her death. ‘We are stunned by the sudden occurrence of this event,’ it read, adding that her cause of death was not confirmed.
Fans who were waiting to attend her concert were emotional as the news came out of her death.
A woman in her 50s who had been due to attend the event told NHK: ‘I liked her since I was a teenager. She was always sparkling and beautiful, and I have many memories of imitating her hairstyle.
‘I can’t believe she has passed away, and I want to see her again.”
Another woman said of her idol: “She was the same age as me, and she was a great source of strength to me.
‘I can’t put it into words, so I’m very sad and disappointed that she has passed away. I want to tell her, “Thank you for everything.”‘
Ms Nakayama is pictured with Korean actor and model Kim Jae-Wook in 2017
Love Letter (1995) garnered international acclaim and earned her several best actress awards
Ms Nakayama leaves behind a son, who she shared with her musician ex-husband Hitonari Tsuji and is in his custody.
The pair married in 2002 and moved to Paris, where Ms Nakayama took a break from her career and spent much of her time away from the public eye.
She later returned to Japan and resumed her career, including starring in a film in 2010.
The popular star made her acting debut in 1985 aged just 14, in a comedy about high school students called Maido Osawagaseshimasu.
She went on to appear in a series of TV shows and films, most notably Love Letter, which tells the story of a grieving widow who writes letters to a stranger living at her late fiancé’s address.
As a singer, she won the Japan Record Award for Best New Artist for her debut song and had big hits with songs such as Tada Nakitaku No and Sekaijuu no Dare Yori Kitto, which she sang in collaboration with the rock band Wands.
